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Beverage Air undercounter freezer

I am working on a Beverage air unit model#UCF48A. when I first turn on the unit, it was running at 5 psi suction and 220 head, after a few minutes the suction pressure went up to 80 back and 350 heading and saw the amp draw went from 6.4 to 11.7 then off on ol. So I replaced the compressor (1/4 hp r404) and the supco bc-1 with 56" long with a new drier last night. Evacuated and weighted in the charge per nameplate info(15 oz) it was cooling down to 35 degrees (with no products in the unit) after 45 minutes with the pressure settle at 20 back and 220 head with 75 deg ambient. The customer call today said it was holding at around 50 degrees. I came and found unit running at 2 back and 180 back. customer put in full of stuff in the freezer last night after I left. I thought there may be a leak. so I leak checked, but didn't find anything. I am wondering would the pressures make that much different with products in the freezer? I added a little more r404 in it, so it is running at 26 back and 270 head and it's cooling down to 26 degrees. but one thing I notice the discharge temperature is pretty hot (177 deg). is it normal to have a discharge line tempt that high? Any comments would be appreciated.

I would check the condenser and the cap tube. If you correctly weighed in charge, you should not have added more. You should have used a quality vacuum gauge when you evacuated to be sure you have no leaks.

Your pressures don't make sense. If a small cooler was filled with foods frozen to very low temps, it could drop your suction/discharge pressures. You can't properly test a cooler when it is full of product that far below design temp.

the condenser is cleaned last week.
MicahWes, the reason I added additional refrigerant is because the suction pressure was low at about 3 psi suction and 180 head. I am thinking it could be the cap tube also. I couldn't wait for the OEM cap tube from Beverage Air, so I used the Supco BC-1 with the recommended 56" long. I used it because I read many possitive reviews about it here.

what bugs me is that the pressures difference between last night and today. and there's no leak any where. Has anyone see this situation before?
I called the restaurant this evening after about 5 hours, the owner said it is holding at 22 degress. I told him I will double check it again tomorrow.

UCF48_spm.pdf
The OEM compressor is a Tecumseh AEA2380ZXA (1/4HP 115-60) according to the parts manual. So, kind of a conflict between their general specifications sheet and their parts manual. Only Beverage Air knows for sure....

I avoid using a Supco equivalent and cross-referencing with their charts. I suggest their OEM cap tube (.036ID X 84") cut from the factory -OR- a "J/B" brand cap tube - properly cut. They do a .036ID tube. Grainger sells them.

I've had bad experiences with getting off-sized cap tubes to work as expected. If you don't have a cap tube cutter, I recommend that too. Wire strippers or (ahem) wire cutters used as a tube-cutter just don't "cut" it when there's so little room for error. Seems too easy to "crimp" a cap tube end during a cut when you want to maintain its original ID dimension. Too often I've caught my ridiculously exacting standards causing me to "gauge" what I just cut with an orifice bit.

Wire strippers or (ahem) wire cutters used as a tube-cutter just don't "cut" it when there's so little room for error. Seems too easy to "crimp" a cap tube end during a cut when you want to maintain its original ID dimension. Too often I've caught my ridiculously exacting standards causing me to "gauge" what I just cut with an orifice bit.

I like to use a small triangle file to cut cap tube. I also have on board tip cleaners for oxy/ace brazing tips. You can use these to be sure ends are clear. Take your time and do it right.
Not saying this is the best method but it's what I do with the tools I have. Always worked for me.

I don't think there is anything wrong with using a sharp wire stripper to score a cap tube all the way around then snap it. One of the cap tube cutters I saw for sale recently was just a wire stripper.

I bought one on ebay looks just like a wire stripper but does a great job on cap tubes. Have a set of spark plug gauges to check it ID. Also cleans up the end.

Originally Posted by MicahWes

I don't think there is anything wrong with using a sharp wire stripper to score a cap tube all the way around then snap it. One of the cap tube cutters I saw for sale recently was just a wire stripper.

Thanks for all your advices, I went back and found the new drier I put in has a factory solder joint leak. I put another one in and it's been working normally. Sorry for the late reply, I've working late for the past week. Thanks again for the help.

Thanks for all your advices, I went back and found the new drier I put in has a factory solder joint leak. I put another one in and it's been working normally. Sorry for the late reply, I've working late for the past week. Thanks again for the help.